Fire Emblem: Attack of a New Land
by myswordhandtwtiches
Summary: War has consumed Tellius once more. This time, all our old heros must team up with new ones to fight of a new threat. The continents buried long ago arise again, and the beings on them come back with a vengance against the survivors of the flood.
1. Prologue

****

This is my first Fire Emblem story. It consists of the character from Radiant Dawn and Path Of Radiance. This is just the prologue, giving you a bit of insight on what been happening on Tellius since the end of Radiant Dawn.

Read on!

* * *

**Crimea**

Peace had fallen over Crimea and all of Tellius. The bird tribes were free to do as they pleased, the beasts roamed the forests. The human prejudices were fading fast. The world was finally what Queen Elincia had wanted.

She stood outside in her courtyard, watching the young children play with each other. The young cat laguz pounced on the beorc boy and laughed. The boy wrestled to get free, smiling and laughing the whole time. Elincia smiled to herself.

To imagine, three years ago, they had to fight against Ashera, the order goddess, to find this peace. So many had died during the fight. They never got to see the end result of their sacrifice.

Elincia stayed out until the sun began to fall over the horizon. She watched as Melior, the capital of Crimea, became dark and asleep. No one had to worry about war, or their children dying. No one had to worry about anything.

Elincia went to her room to retire for the evening. She slept soundly now, not having to worry about anything more than high taxes or small skirmishes.

**Daein**

Sothe watched everybody chatter at the table. He remained silent. Edward playfully flicked Leonardo's food away. He laughed loudly and ran into the next room, hiding. Nolan talked with Micaiah, asking about her life now.

They had these little dinners every month or so. Micaiah was concerned with everybody falling apart after the war, so Sothe arranged dinner once a month so they could hang out. It reminded them all of the days of the Dawn Brigade.

Sothe didn't often say anything at these dinners. He kept his mouth shut to the problems that came with ruling a country and the issues of everyday life. Everything seemed so simple now, after having defeated a goddess bent on destroying all of humanity.

Micaiah looked over to Sothe, and smiled brightly. He smiled back. They often had little moments like this.

**Begnion**

Apostle Sanaki sat at a table filled with senators. She laid her head on her hands, bored. She'd been here for hours. Despite everything, the senators loved to argue. None of them were too happy about the new ordinance of laguz freedom and the alliance between all the nations.

Sanaki couldn't care less what the senate thought. After having gone through a war first hand and saving all of humanity, the senate was cake.

Tormod stood up and started giving his opinion on the former laguz slavery acts, and the current prejudice. Tormod had become a great speaker, and very persuasive. He believed strongly in laguz alliances with beorc, having been raised by a laguz himself.

Finally, Sanaki called the meeting adjourned and walked off, expecting a letter or two from her old allies.

**Gallia**

King Skrimir listened vaguely as Ranulf told him about the latest happenings about the world. Elincia did this to help, Micaiah did that… Blah blah blah. Even Ranulf was tired of receiving meaningless reports. And then having to give them.

The world was at piece now. Why couldn't anyone get that?

Skrimir sighed. He thanked Ranulf and dismissed him. As long as the veterans from the Goddess' war were in command of the countries, no war was going to arise. No one would fight without a dedicated leader.

He knew the others well. Nobody liked war. Not even him. He had become much more diplomatic along his journey to kinghood. Caineghis had taught him that a good king was not only strong, but smart and willing to listen to others.

**Phoenicis**

Tibarn flew high above his country, Ulki and Janaff close behind. The Hawk and Raven tribes was at peace as well. He watched as his subjects looked up and waved at the familiar green hawk. He cawed loudly, recognizing their greetings.

It was an incredible thing, to watch to species of laguz intermingle like that. After what the ravens had done under Neasala, it was hard to forgive them. But it had been done. They united into one single nation, similar to Gallia.

Neasala dropped by on occasion, with Leanne close at his side. Tibarn remember why he had wanted to kill him in the first place. Because of some damned blood-pact, he had almost killed an important factor in today's equation.

**Goldoa**

Young King Kurthnaga watched as his fellow dragons soared the skies above his head. He had been sad about his father's death, but he had found the truth of everything in it.

His father was responsible for so many things. Kurth just wanted to fix it. He had dropped the strict trespassing laws and allowed free trade and commerce to run through his country. He believed that if a country were to be strong, you need another's help.

Kurthnaga was happy with the way things were going.

**And there we have it! Don't forget to review! I don't expect much, seeing as every other FE story has almost no reviews. But I still like them.**


	2. One: The Attack

**Chapter one! I think it's awesome. But that's up to you!**

**Read on!**

Port Jacopo sat on the border of Daein and the Great Sea. Ships docked every day, and left, keeping the town lively. The buildings were small, and every family had their own house. Children ran and played on cobbled roads and dodged trade carts. Adults smiled and whistled while they worked, happy to be alive.

A young girl, no more than fifteen, was sitting on the shore, playing a board game with her best friend, a boy of sixteen. The girl had shoulder length black hair, tied back. Her eyes were a bright green that always made her seem happy. She was of a medium height and was thin. She bore two swords, crossed, on her back, giving the public notice of her twin-sword skills. Her hands were covered in fingerless gloves and she had a handkerchief tied around her left bicep, over her short-sleeved shirt. She wore pants, still uncommon for most females, and thick boots to protect her feet during training.

The boy had white, spiked hair, falling in his eyes at every movement of his head. His build was thin, but still muscular. He had the body of fighter, but the eyes of a mage. He was skilled in the art of Thunder casting. He wore a cape over his shoulder, with the thunder symbol on the back. He wore open-toed sandals. On his left arm, he bore a handkerchief similar to the girl's.

The two were part of an exclusive group. The group consisted of four young teenagers. Tarah, Jayde, Ethaniel, and Addie. The four had been friends as long as Tarah could remember.

"Hah!" Tarah shouted, laying down her final piece. "I win again."

Jayde scoffed and cleared the board. "You always win, Tarah." He complained, closing the box and putting it under his cape.

The two of them stood up and started to make their way back home. As they were just about to step onto concrete, the world became dark. Tarah looked up behind them and saw dark smoke clouds coming for them.

"Jayde?" she smacked his shoulder.

"What?" He turned to face her, and his eyes widened.

"I've never known a ship to make smoke like that. Have you?"

He shook his head. "No. Never."

Tarah heard the scream of an arrow before Jayde. She tackled him to the ground. He squirmed from underneath her and looked to the arrows landing. His head had been there only a second earlier.

"Thanks." He said, climbing to his feet again. "But who would be shooting at us?"

The air whistled and sand flew up around the two. Tarah heard civilians screaming and running around her. She had no idea what was going on. She heard the arrows strike the sand and concrete, clunking as they hit each other.

Then she smelt something. Burning wood. She fought her way out of the wall of sand, grabbing Jayde's arm so he'd follow. She made it through as saw that Port Jacopo had come to flames! She let go of Jayde's arm and ran to one of the scream women.

"Hey, what's going on?" she demanded?

"I'm as confused as you are, Tarah! We just walked out to get some food for tonight, and we heard crashes and explosions." The lady told her.

Tarah nodded thanks and ran down the street. People were fleeing their shops and house as they caught fire. She had to shove her way through to get to her cliff.

Once she reached it, she saw that there was giant ship on the horizon. It was purely steel, uncommon for the continent of Tellius. The steel was a bright sliver color and blinded her as the sun hit it. The ship had cylinders extending from the sides, and occasionally turning orange. Soon after the color change she heard the crack of air being forced back together after something split through it.

Jayde ran up behind her, panting heavily. He stared at the sight of the battleship wide eyed. "What the hell…?" he muttered, asking no one but himself.

Tarah slid down her cliff until she hit the beach line. The waves lapped against her ankles and sopped through her pant legs.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey! You!" she shouted to the ship. "Why are you firing? We didn't do anything!"

She received no reply just more cracking as giant balls of powder exploded on the buildings again. She tried again, and heard nothing back. She saw people scurrying across the deck of the boat. She ran farther out into the waves, and shouted again.

"Stop! C'mon!" She gave up and turned back to Jayde. "Come here, Jayde."

He slid down the mountain and run up next to her. "What?"

"Strike them with some thunder magic." She commanded.

"But it could kill them!" He shouted, fear coming into his voice.

"Then strike near them, to get their attention!" she shouted out, extending her arms in frustration.

He pulled out the book and got ready say the spell when the explosions stopped. Jayde lowered the book and closed his mouth. Tarah watched, as the giant ship moved quickly away and out of sight.

"Maybe, they heard you." Jayde suggested.

Suddenly, Tarah's hands were bounded behind her back. "Hey!" she looked over her shoulder and saw a man in armor and a badge on his chest restraining her. He had a partner, tying his hands with rope behind his back. "What are you doing!"

"You attacked the village!" the man answered, his voice gravely and deep. "You two are coming with us."

"But we didn't at-"

"Silence!" he bellowed as she began to argue. "You're coming with us to Nevassa."

Tarah and Jayde complied, and went with the officer sliently.

**Review please!**


	3. Two: Meeting Up

**This chapter, I think, is exciting toward the end. I love fight scenes!**

**Read on!**

The two sat in dusty old room in the Daein Keep. Jayde was pacing the room, mumbling dark words at himself. Tarah just sat and stared at the ceiling. The room was pale, not much decoration, except for a tapestry in the corner hanging on wall.

"I thought castles were all dungeons and dragons and fire power, Jayde." Tarah said fingering her empty sword sheath.

"Those kinds of castles are in little kid tales, Tarah. Don't you read?"

"Not castle books. I read tales about history and stuff. Like there was this one thing, with a dude named Ike and it was really good-"

A soldier burst into the room. He was holding a lance in one had. "You two. The queen wishes to speak with you."

Tarah hoped up, excited. "I've never met royalty before." She said, grinning.

Jayde rolled his eyes. "Just come on."

The soldier led them down the hallway. Tarah gaped at the paintings and the brickwork that went in to building a huge castle like this. Arches past over their heads occasionally. The soldier finally stopped a door, reaching far overhead and signaled for the children to stop.

The soldier opened the door a crack. "Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Have you brought them?" came a female voice from the other side. Tarah leaned over the soldier, trying to catch a glimpse of the queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The soldier bowed out and ushered the two in.

Jayde nervously pushed his fingers together and bit his lip. He kept his head down and didn't make eye contact. Tarah, on the other hand, looked at everybody. She smiled brightly, her grin taking over half her face.

A silver-haired woman sat on a pedestal, next to a green-haired man. The woman had a smile on her face. She nodded to the soldier, and he excused himself.

Jayde looked at Tarah, and she saw he was about to break down. She patted him on the soldier. She stepped in front of him and grinned again.

"We didn't do what we're accused of, Queen." Tarah told her, having a sincere look come over her face.

Jayde nodded quickly behind her. "Y-yeah! We were t-trying to help, Majesty." He stuttered out.

"Relax, children. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to hear your side of the story." The queen said, smiling softly.

"Well, Jayde and I were playing a board game on the beach, and we about to leave— " Tarah started.

"When this HUGE ship came over the horizon and started firing arrows and fireballs at us!" Jayde said, his arms flying widely around his head.

"Can you describe the ship to me?"

Tarah nodded. "It was big; at least four times the size of a normal merchant ship. And it was plated in steel, like my swords. There were giant black cylinders extending from square holes in the side that fired the fireballs."

"Were there flags on the ship?"

"Um…" Tarah stopped and recalled the image. "I don't think so. I didn't think about looking."

"Anything else?"

"I tried to yell at the people to stop, from the shore. But they either couldn't hear me or chose not to listen. So I told Jayde here to strike them with some lightning to get their attention."

"And,"

"They stopped fire. And then we were bound and shoved here."

The queen sat on her throne silently; contemplating over the information she'd been given. The ship was, from description, not any of her allies. But whose then?

"Tell me,…"

"Tarah."

"Tell me, Tarah, are you and your friend, Jayde, active members in your community."

Tarah nodded. She put on a confident grin and stood a bit straighter. "We're in charge of security."

"Ones as young as yourselves?"

"Yep! We've got two others in the group with us. We've got a lot a bandits and pirates that come around, and we take 'em out to protect the townspeople." Tarah told her proudly.

Jayde elbowed her in the ribs. "Be polite! Don't boast about it!" he whispered to her.

"No, no," the Queen told them. "It's alright. A little self confidence is good a person."

"We call ourselves the Red Guardians! Cause we wear red handkerchiefs on our left arms!"

The queen laughed at Tarah's confidence. "Well, thank you for giving me that information. If you want, you can go home now."

"Alright," Jayde bowed deeply to the queen. "Thank you."

"Wait," Tarah, said. "I wanna stay in Nevassa for a bit, Jayde."

"But, the queen said we could—"

"C'mon, please? I've never been in a city this big before. I've never left Port Jacopo before. Just for a day or two."

Jayde looked nervously around the room. "But Tarah, what if the town comes under trouble?"

"Ethaniel and Addie can take care of it. They aren't useless you know."

The queen stood and walked over to the two. "You may stay in Nevassa for a couple days. Would you like to stay here or elsewhere?"

"Elsewhere." Jayde said, backing off. "I mean, we don't want to trouble you and your men." He shied behind Tarah.

"Yeah, we've got some money on us. We'll stay at an inn." Tarah told her. She grabbed Jayde's elbow and pulled him out of the room.

Micaiah turned to Sothe. "Well, they were interesting, weren't they?"

"The girl seems so young." He said, stepping down to her. "She didn't act her age. She seemed more like four year old."

Micaiah laughed. "Yes. And the boy was like her older brother." Then she frowned. "But the ordeal with the ship is troubling. No flags? And steel-plated. No one has that access on Tellius. And the weapons described." She shuddered.

"Yes. It's odd. I think we should wait a bit before investigating. It may have been a mistake, Micaiah." Sothe told her.

"I hope so…"

***

Two days later, Jayde and Tarah were walking along a dirt road a couple miles away from Port Jacopo. They had walked the whole day and the sun was still high in the sky.

"I think we've got a couple more hours of sunlight," Tarah said, looking at the sun again.

"We're only a couple hours from Port. We should make it before sundown." Jayde said, picking up his pace.

Tarah matched it easily. The horizon fell back to the sea now. The sun glinted off the salt water and shone back in their eyes.

They came over the horizon, and saw their town down below. The town up in flames! Again! People were screaming and running out of the gates. Tarah and Jayde saw their friends fighting a group of what looked like bandits.

Tarah took off down the hill at full speed. She ripped her swords out of their holsters and gripped them tightly. She burst through the gates, and dashed down the road.

Jayde, being slower than Tarah, pulled out his spell book and called out a spell. Lightning struck down on a bandit trying to escape. He ran down the hill, trying to catch up with Tarah and not trip.

Tarah caught up to her friend, Addie, who was leaning against a cart, hiding from a shower of arrows. She gripped her bow in one hand and loaded it with the other. She quickly came up, aimed, and fired in one motion. Her arrow hit the mark, and the bandit fell.

"Addie!" Tarah shouted as she dove under an arrow and skidded up to her. "What the hell's going on?"

"Bandits came from both the road and the sea! Pirates! But they don't look like their beorc!" She shouted, after shooting another arrow.

"Are they laguz?" Tarah said, glancing over the stand.

"Why would laguz need arrows and weapons like that? And they don't look like them either. No ears or tail or claws. Nothing!" she fired again, and came back down.

"Alright," Tarah said, gripping her swords again. "I'm going in. Cover me."

"Wait, Tarah!" Addie cried, but Tarah was already slashing through the enemies. "Damn that girl! She's so impulsive!" Addie mumbled to herself, as she stood and ran after her.

Ethaniel was sliced a man with an axe as Tarah ran up. "Tarah! Where're you been?" He shouted.

Tarah came up, and slashed over his head, missing his hair by centimeters. There was a cry and a body fell at Ethaniel's feet. "No time for talk! We gotta protect the port!" She commanded and sliced another enemy, clearing the area.

She, Ethaniel, and Addie sprinted down the main road, meeting no resistance along the way. They came up to the port, and saw it swarming with people. All of them were dressed in silver, similar to the giant ship that was docked.

"It's that ship again!" Tarah said, halting movement. She heard panting behind her and turned slightly.

"You know you could wait for me!" Jayde said, leaning on his knees.

"No time! Red Guardians, move out! We've got to protect these people! Go!" She ran down the road and jumped up onto the dock.

The other three exchanged a quick glance before taking off after her. They came up on the dock and starting taking out sliver-clad ninjas. They were dressed as rogues, but fought like swordsmen.

Tarah was making easy work of the commander. The man had a bow and was a terrible at hand-to-hand. She sliced down, creating a deep gash across the man's chest.

"Leave!" She shouted, raising one sword above her head. "Call your men off now, and leave with your life!"

The man trembled, and fell to the ground. He rose his head and looked in Tarah's eyes. They were gleaming with anger and hatred. The man almost cried in fear.

"Men! Halt! Board the ship! Leave!" he shouted, crawling back up to the ship. "The girl's evil! Leave and we will not die!"

The surviving men boarded the ship quickly, making eye contact with each of the Red Guardians, except Tarah. Tarah still bore the angered look she had before, and it was obvious the men feared it.

Tarah split the tie to the boat and pushed the ship out of port. The four friends watched the steel ship leave and disappear onto the horizon. Tarah and Jayde shared a look.

"Ethaniel," Tarah said, still watching the dying light.

"Yes?" Ethaniel asked, standing straighter.

"You're on watch tonight. Contact me if anything goes wrong." She said, sheathing her swords and turning her back. "I'll be sleeping in my usual place."

Ethaniel looked to Jayde who shrugged. Addie watched the boys and wondered what was wrong with her friend.

**Oh!! Cliffhanger... kinda. Not a very good one, but partially there. Anyway, those of you who review and add to your faves, thank you. I'd love to see some new names though.**

**Please review!**


	4. Three: The Hawk Boy

**Hey guys! Another chapter up. It's not nearly as action packed as the last, but it's got some inportant info.**

**Read on!**

Tarah stood alone in the forest, her swords at the ready, panting. She was smacking a leaf-stuffed cloth doll over and over again as training.

The sky was dark and cloudy. A storm was rolling in soon. Tarah shouted and leapt at the doll again. The forest was filled with the sounds of steel hitting cloth and grinding against steel. Tarah flipped around, back striking the doll and knocking it over.

"You know, you should be sleeping." Jayde said, walking up behind her. He was dressed down, wearing shorts and sleeveless shirt. "It's really late."

"I couldn't get to sleep." Tarah said, sitting down in front of him.

Jayde joined her and picked a piece of grass up. "Something bothering you?"

"Yeah."

"What is it? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Tarah was silent for a moment. "That man, the leader of the attack. He called me evil."

"Is that it?" Jayde asked, looking up to her.

"Not just that. When we visited the queen, it was like something wanted me to show her my scar." Tarah answered again.

"I've told you before, Tarah." Jayde sighed. "You—"

"Yeah, yeah. I can't show anyone. They would do bad stuff, I know, Jayde." Tarah stood up, frustrated. "I don't see why I can't."

Jayde opened his mouth to say why, but stopped himself.

"I know you don't want to tell about it, and I can't blame you. I just… I don't like hiding." She looked to the bandana around her arm. It was spread out more than the other members, covering bright red, swirling marks. "It's such a weak thing to do."

"Sometimes, you need to hide, Tarah. You'll learn that." Jayde said, stepping up and smiling at her. He grabbed one of her swords of the ground. "Now come on! I'm sure a dummy can get boring. Let's spar like we used to."

Tarah smiled and picked up her sword. "Yeah!"

***

A hawk cawed in the forest. He dove down toward the ground and kicked up dust behind him. He heard shouts behind him and flapped his wings, adding speed to his already soaring body.

"Get that bird!" He heard in a foreign tongue.

_Mustn't let them get me._ He thought to himself. He gained altitude. He looked down on the forest, searching for a town to rest at. One that was secluded and the fish-men couldn't find him.

He heard shouts and the clattering of beorc swords. He dove down and landed a few yards away. He peered through a couple trees to see two young children sparring. One was girl, that was obvious, but she seemed too young to be fighting.

Suddenly, the girl's head shot up. "Who's there?"

The bird transformed quickly, feeling it futile to hide from the prying eyes of the beorc girl. He stepped out in his humanoid form, dress in a green tunic and black pants. His wings spread out behind him in a honey brown color with white tips. His hair fell around his face, and matched his wings. He had a red headband on and a deep red scar over his face.

Tarah and Jayde stared at the young hawk. Tarah stepped up to him. She stared at him intensely, making him back off slightly. Jayde stepped up behind her and readied his hands to hold her back.

"Who are you?" she finally said. Jayde almost fell over.

The hawk looked surprised. "Um… My name's Bactan."

"Hello, Bactan." Tarah smiled at him. "I'm Tarah. And this is my friend, Jayde."

Jayde waved behind Tarah.

"Nice to meet you, Jayde and Tarah." Bactan bowed slightly, "But I must find a hiding place. I have pursuers gaining every moment."

Tarah nodded. "Alright, we've got a place." She told him. "Or rather Jayde does."

"What? You mean…" Jayde thought for a moment. "Wait! You can't mean my house!"

"Yes, I do." Tarah grinned and nodded to Bactan. "C'mon, I'll show you the way."

The three walked through the forest silently. They were far away from any trails or roads, and the sky was blocked out by the trees.

Jayde fidgeted as he led the way. "Not too far now," he said, telling himself more than the others.

Bactan looked to Tarah, who was walking right beside him. "Is he always so nervous?" he asked her, quietly.

"Only when things are new to him." Tarah answered, not whispering. She said it as clear as an everyday conversation.

Jayde turned around. "What?"He asked.

"You get nervous around things out of the norm. Bactan wanted to know." She told him.

Bactan shot her a glare. "Why would you tell him that?" he whispered again.

"It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs. And I know Jayde, and I don't cut him down or anything, but I don't lie. So he has the right to know what I talk about."

Bactan was taken back. "I've never met a beorc before, let alone one with such a sense of pride." He admitted. "I thought that beorc hated laguz."

Jayde perked up and said, "We used to. I was raised to think that laguz were evil, the very incarnate of the dark god. But then the war with Crimea came, and I saw how the Crimean army treated war victims. I had a long talk with a member of the beast tribe, and he was nice. I realized then, that I would never judge anyone without knowing them."

Bactan looked to Tarah for her answer. "I've never met a laguz before. But I've read stories about the Hawk King, Tibarn, and King Caineghis. They seem to me to be very honorable and proud people. Anyone who is honorable should not be looked down on." She said, folding her arms.

Bactan wiped his forehead. "You are an interesting bunch, you know that." He laughed lightly, already feeling at home. He looked to Tarah. "What is your class ranking?"

"I'm a double-handed swordweilder." She told him, stopping in the forest. "We're here."

**Ahaha! Kind of cliffhanger. I just didn't want to write about Jayde's house yet. It's an important point. So stay tuned and don't forget to review!**


	5. Four: Feelings of War

**Really short chapter, but I think it's important.**

**Read on!**

Addie was sitting at the table in the Red Guardians' HQ. She had a cup of hot tea in front of her, and another beside.

Jayde burst in the door, and took of his cape and hung it up. "Evening Addie." He said. "What are you doing up so late?" He seemed peeved at something.

"Hey Addie!" Tarah jumped up behind him, grinning widely. "I'd like you to meet someone!"

She pulled Bactan into the doorway by his elbow. "This is Bactan."

Addie jumped up and nearly split her tea. "Oh my god! Why is a laguz in our forest?" she asked, startled.

Bactan shrugged. "I was chased into it. Fish-men. Odd characters."

Addie nodded. "Alright—"

"Tarah, I need to talk to you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. "Alone?"

Tarah followed him out into the forest, a mile or so away from the building. Jayde paced back and forth.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded.

"What do you mean, Jayde?" she leaned against tree and looked to the cloud infested sky.

"Bactan!" he shouted, then lowered his voice. "He's being chased. You could have just brought trouble into our front yard!"

"The guy needed help, Jayde!" She shot back. "I did the same for Addie, and Ethaniel! We started this group _to _help people. Bactan is people, last time I checked. You can't expect me to pass it by."

"But I do!" He sighed and started pacing again. "I thought we agreed we'd stick to our own village."

"He's _in _our village now." She folded her arms. "You know, I was in a good mood, after our sparing session, and you're ruining it."

"Screw your good mood! We've got bigger issues!" he gritted his teeth. "Look, the village has had _two_ attacks in less than a week. That's a freakin' record. This could be number three."

Tarah got up off the tree and stared at Jayde. "Why are you so against helping him? I thought you had changed your views on them."

He took a breath. "I have. But…" He paused.

"But what?" Then she dawned on the realization. "Don't even tell me…" She rolled her eyes.

"I've heard stuff, Tarah."

"And I have too. It's a matter of believing it. Bactan's not bad." She insisted.

"How'd you know?" he grumbled.

"Really?" She laughed. "I have to answer this again? It's a crazy power thing I have."

He groaned. "I know, but…Alright, he can stay."

Tarah grinned at him. "That's better."

***

Micaiah sat with Sothe a table near the courtyard. They were talking aimlessly, about nothing in particular. The sky had gone dark long ago, but they weren't tired.

A soldier ran up to her and bowed. "I beg your pardon, Majesty, but I've been informed there was another foreign attack on the Port of Jacopo."

Micaiah stood and Sothe followed. "When?"

"A few hours ago."

Micaiah sighed and shot a glance to Sothe. "Very well. Have a small band of soldiers go to Port Jacopo. And have them look up Tarah and Jayde. They may have information for us."

"Understood. By your leave." The soldier scurried off.

Sothe came to stand next to Micaiah. Micaiah leaned against him.

"I thought we had ended these wars three years ago. But we might be on the brink of another one." Micaiah shut her eyes.

"We'll figure it out."Sothe promised. "Hopefully without bloodshed."

***

Jayde and Tarah headed back together. They had stopped talking and walked in silence. They had no idea who, or what, was following them…

**Ohhh!! Cliffie! Muhahaha. Anyway, please review. Next chapter will feature a fight scene. I love writing those.**


	6. Five: Mysteries of the Newcomers

Tarah stepped onto a stick, causing a crack to sound through the silent forest. Jayde flinched, and covered his head.

"C'mon, Jayde, relax. There's no one out here besides us." Tarah told him.

Jayde looked around him. "But what if those guys after Bactan are here?" He shivered. "And who ever heard of fish-men?"

Tarah sighed. She ignored his last comment and continued walking. She thought Jayde had gotten over his paranoia. She didn't understand how he could be so scared of the forest at night.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck shot up. She flipped around quickly, unsheathing one of her swords. She glanced around, her sword in front of her. Jayde had become alert the second she spun around. He pulled out his tome.

"I told you we were gonna be attacked…" he mumbled to her, covering her back.

"Shut up. I can't hear with you talking…" Tarah breathed.

Four men stepped out of the trees. Tarah gritted her teeth and pulled her other sword out. "Who are you and what business do you have with our town?"

"Where's the boy?" The sliver-clad men stepped closer, breathing heavy. "The hawk boy… Where is he?"

Tarah lashed forward when one of the men got too close for her liking. The man fell to the ground, dead before he hit. "You come that close, I kill you too." She seethed.

Jayde, with his back still pressed to her's, shivered. He hated whenever she felt threatened. She became a whole other being when she was. She went from happy and naïve, to angry and frightening.

The fish-men apparently didn't hear the venom dripping from her words. They kept coming. She slashed them all to oblivion. One remained, however, and backed off, into the cover of the trees.

"Captain told us about you, evil one." The man said, his voice no louder than a whisper. "You have the strength of the goddesses. This will be an interesting battle."

Tarah lowered her stance. "Then why are you cowering behind a tree?" Her face was drawn into a scowl. "Face me head on."

The man laughed. "I will not be the one to face you. That is not my purpose." He muttered. "And if the hawk is your protection, we will need… something else." And he disappeared.

Tarah straightened. "Alright, that was way weird." She said, elbowing Jayde to stop shaking.

Jayde rubbed his arms. "It's getting really late. We need some sleep, c'mon." He walked the other way, toward his house.

Tarah followed silently. Those weird people were after Bactan. And they were the same outfits that those bandits did from the day before. Tarah had a feeling something was going on. She just didn't know what.

***

Tarah had fallen asleep fast. Her head didn't even hit the pillow before she was out. She really hadn't realized how late it was.

Her dream started in a forest. It was a bright, sunny morning in that forest. She had no idea where the forest was, but it wasn't her home trees.

She was strolling alone across freshly fallen leaves. The day seemed dim due to the high, thick treetops, but the heat was smothering. She observed a small field mouse running from a large brown owl. The mouse didn't have a chance of survival.

She turned away and continued walking. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized this was a dream. But she decided to ignore it and enjoy her dream.

Suddenly, her senses were set on alert. She turned to see a dark skinned, red-headed boy running toward her. The boy looked cheerful as he ran right through her. She noticed the boy's hair was shaped like a lion's mane, and he had a tail sticking out his pants. Clearly the boy was a lion laguz. She wondered why she was dreaming about a laguz boy she had never seen.

When she felt three more people run through her dream body, she forgot about the boy. These people were wearing the same outfits the fish-men had been during the attack and pursuit of Bactan. She followed silently, her feet no longer making any noise.

They relentlessly followed the boy. The lion laguz looked enthusiastic about the chase, however. But his happiness was short lived. The boy was run into a cliff side corner. The fish-men seemed to multiply right in front of him.

"You are surrounded, Lion of Gallia. There is no escape." One silver suited man stepped forward. "You will come with us."

The lion growled deeply. "No, I won't." His voice was deep and rough. "I've no idea who you are."

Tarah watched as he transformed into a lion twice the side of his un-shifted body. He took out the fish-men in one fatal swipe of his claw. He ran up the cliff side, and disappeared.

Tarah was aware that the world was shaking. She braced herself; she'd heard about earthquakes, but never experienced it.

"Hey, Tarah!" a familiar voice shouted. "Wake up, we're on duty this morning!"

Tarah's eyes opened. "What? What about that lion boy?" Tarah panted, shooting up in her bed.

Jayde looked confused. "What?"

She looked to Jayde. She decided against telling him about the dream. "Never mind. Bad dream." She got up and grabbed her leather armor. "Let's go."


	7. Six: Uneasy Feelings

**Wow, guys. Long time no update, eh? Well, I just finished Radiant Dawn again and remembered I had this story to write! Eheheh *sweatdrop*. I appologize for the long wait, but I hope this will satisfy you for the moment.**

Tarah sat on top of the guard post, staring out at the field in front of her. At this time of day, it wasn't too busy outside. A single merchant cart was traveling off into the setting sun, carrying with it the wares of the beloved Port Jacopo.

The girl yawned widely, and leaned against the guard railing. Her black hair was falling into her eyes and she could feel them closing.

"Hey, now, Tarah. No sleeping on the job." A very familiar voice came from below.

Tarah shifted her line of vision downward to see Jayde standing below the ladder, smiling softly. He waved her down, and watched as she slid down the ladder.

"We're off the clock." Jayde told her as they began walking back into the heart of town. "Man, it was so boring out today. All I had to do was help this old lady carry groceries."

"How's Bactan doing? Did you see him today?"

Jayde stopped talking and blinked at her. "No. I was on shift all day, same as you."

"Okay." Tarah mumbled back, feeling her exhaustion take over again. "We should get back and get the others out here."

The two walked through the village, silent. They were greeted by several of the villagers as they passed by, and Tarah gave a soft smile to them. They reached the outskirts of the woods where Jayde's house lay among the foliage.

"So, Tarah. What are we going to do with Bactan?" Jayde asked, holding her back from walking into the building.

"I don't know." Tarah shrugged. "But we should let him stay as long as he wants or needs."

Jayde sighed. "I really hope we're not bringing danger into our backyard."

Tarah punched Jayde in the shoulder. "We can handle anything that comes our way, right?" She smiled confidently at him. "That's why we made this group, anyway."

Jayde rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But the village has been attacked three times in the past week. That shatters the previous record of an attack every month!"

"Relax. If things get bad, I'll find a way out."

Tarah pushed the door open and walked inside. Jayde took a deep breath and followed her in. They were welcomed by Ethaniel laying on the kitchen table, sharpening the blade on his axe.

"Oh hey, guys!" Ethaniel said, flipping around to look at his friends. "How'd watch go?"

Tarah shrugged, and detached the straps that held her swords to her back. "It was boring today. Nothing came, and only a few merchants left. How are things here?"

"Alright, I guess. Addie took the hawk boy out to town to get him supplies." Ethaniel slid off the table and to his feet. "He said he needed some special things."

Jayde nodded, and walked over to sit at the table. He laid his head on his folded arms, and sighed. Tarah leaned against the wall, and yawned.

"Hey, boys. I think I'm gonna turn in early. See you in the morning." Tarah said, leaving to go to her room.

Jayde and Ethaniel watched her leave. Ethaniel noticed the worry in his comrade's eyes, and sat down next to him.

"Something wrong, bro?" He asked.

"Yeah, Tarah is acting strange today." Jayde frowned. "Normally, she can't wait to go on watch, and insists that we work together. But she didn't today. And she was acting really funny last night too."

Ethaniel rose his eyebrows. "Funny how?"

"She told that one of the foreign bandits from yesterday called her evil."

Ethaniel's eyebrows shot higher up his face. "Tarah? Evil?" He snickered. "That girl is practically a saint."

"I know. And that's why I think it bugs her that someone would say that. I mean, I know she can get really scary in battle, but evil?"

"Tarah is a beast on the battle field. You know, I saw Bactan out practicing some moves in his unshifted form, and the way he moved was similar to Tarah's fighting style. Only, you know, with out the twin swords." Ethaniel said, dropping his axe onto its hanger.

Jayde didn't respond. He just nodded and headed up to his own room.

"So, Bactan, what exactly are we looking for?" Addie asked, glancing around the market. "Fruit, vegetables, some sort of medallion or amulet?"

"I'll know what it is when I see it." Bactan told her. "I just have a feeling I'm supposed to be here right now."

"Ohh, a Goddess premonition, eh?" Addie laughed.

Bactan didn't respond. He just looked around. There were beorc everywhere here. He had never seen so many people, beorc or laguz, in one place. In the forests where he lived, he had only ever crossed a small band of maybe twenty other hawks or ravens. This many people was… unsettling.

Bactan fidgeted a little and his left wing twitched a little. He wondered if people were staring at him and his wings. These people had nothing on their backs, only clothing. No pointed ears, or tails. No anything.

"Addie?" Bactan asked, his voice shaking a little.

"Yes, Bactan?" Addie's head perked up to meet his eyes.

"How many people live here?" He asked, glancing behind him.

"Oh not very many, not compared to Nevassa or Selior. But we have a decent population, around five or six hundred." Addie said. "Why?"

"I've never been around so many people…." Bactan's face had twisted up with worry and his fingers clenching and unclenching against his palms.

"Oh, it's not that bad. The people here are good people. They don't fight with each other or pick on strangers like some other villages might do. We're used to visitors coming and going here."

"I suppose a port town would be used to it." He muttered, still fidgeting a little. "But why do children fight for the village's protection?"

Addie shrugged. "Well, around six years ago when the Mad King's War broke out, our town guard was called into the army. So the village was left alone and Jayde was the only boy old enough to fight left. Jayde picked up a spellbook and started fighting off the random bandits that happened through. When Ethaniel ended up here around three years ago, he helped, and so on with me and Tarah." Addie explained, humming softly. "The villagers don't mind us protecting them, and it's something we like to do."

Bactan nodded. "So, none of you are native to this land?"

"No, Jayde was born and raised in Daien. Ethaniel was an orphan boy back in Crimea and was kidnapped by some bad people and dropped off here. And I was raised in Begnion with my family, and we were taking a trip one day, when the wagon caught fire near here."

"And Tarah?"

"No one but Jayde knows how she ended up here. It's a great mystery we've tried to get out of him, but he won't budge."

"She doesn't say anything about her home land either?"

"No. To be honest, I don't think she remembers herself." Addie shrugged. "Have you found what you were looking for yet?"

Bactan shook his head, his dark hair falling against his face. "No. Let's go back to the house. Thank you for taking me here."

"Oh no problem, Bactan! I love the marketplace!"

Bactan opened his mouth to say something else, but there was a tap at his shoulder. He turned around to see two spearman in full armor standing behind him.

"Excuse me," the one on the left said. "Do you happen to know a swordsman known as Tarah, and a mage known as Jayde? We need to speak with them."

"Yeah!" Addie nodded enthusiastically. "We live with them. Follow us, sir."

"Thank you, children."


	8. Seven: The Fire

**I hope you guys are happy. I put off my Clac homework for this. LOL, I'm kidding, but I've decided I'll try to update at least once a week. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

Addie let Well, for now, enjoy this chapter! the soldiers sit down at the table when they walked in, while she ran upstairs to wake her friends. She found Tarah asleep and half hanging off her bed. Her sheets were on the other side of the room, having been thrown off in a violent slumber.

"Tarah!" Addie shouted, bursting through her door.

Tarah jumped up immediately, and scrambled for her swords, only to trip over them in the middle of the floor, falling on her face. "Errg…" She mumbled, pushing herself up. "What is it?"

"There are a couple of soldiers here to talk to you and Jayde." Addie said, helping Tarah to her feet. "They're downstairs waiting for you."

Tarah rubbed her eyes and stretched. "You couldn't have told them we were busy?" She muttered. "I'm exhausted."

"Sorry, but they sounded urgent. And the military scare me." Addie told her, pushing her yawning friend out the door. "Now come on. Don't keep them waiting too long."

Tarah shrugged and jumped onto the stairs. "Try to wake Jayde nicer than you did to me. Freaked me half to death! I thought we were being raided again."

Addie laughed, holding the railing on the staircase. "Sorry, but you can sleep so heavy sometimes."

Tarah shrugged again and headed down the staircase, leaving Addie to wake Jayde. She walked in the front room to see two black armored soldiers with their helmets resting in front of them. Smiling, Tarah sat across the table from them.

"Hello." One of the soldiers said. "I am Caleb, and this is my comrade Keith. A small band of soldiers were sent to investigate the recent attacks on this town. Our queen requested for us to look up a young boy and girl by the names of Tarah and Jayde. Would that be you?"

Tarah nodded, her business face coming on. She set her mouth to a straight line, and removed the emotion from her eyes. "Yes. I'm the girl, Tarah."

"And I'm Jayde." The voice came from the staircase. He walked into the room, a shirt hanging loosely over his chest, and his eyes heavy. Jayde's hair was messy and fell into his eyes. "Sorry I'm so disheveled. I just woke up." He said, combing his fingers through his hair.

The soldiers nodded in unison. "We apologize for interrupting. But we have a few questions to ask you."

Tarah leaned back into her seat and scanned the room. Leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, she saw Bactan mindlessly playing with a stray feather from his wings. Bactan looked up at her and shrugged as if to say _hey, I have no more idea than you._

Tarah turned back to the soldiers and indicated they could begin questioning.

"Alright, first off. What did these attackers look like?" Caleb asked again.

Sighing, Tarah said, "They were like fish people. Their skin was a pale greenish color and they had gills just under their chins. The outfits they wore were a shining silver, matching the color of their boat. But the material was like paper. It was so thin, just a graze from my dullest blade could slice through it. And they fought with Beorc weapons." She explained, sketching a picture of them out on a spare napkin and handing it to the soldier.

"They didn't seem very militaristically organized, either. They were all over the place, running into each other, and demanding that another move out of the way. I don't think they were very experienced." Jayde told them, sitting next to Tarah.

The second soldier, Keith, the one who hadn't spoken, was quickly jotting down notes, and humming to himself. "Their commander, what about him?"

A small sliver of uncertainty crossed Tarah's face, but she quickly banished it. "He was just like them, a little shorter and carried a bow. He… He didn't seem to hold much order together for his troops. It was almost as if he was scared to be attacking a small port city like this. And…" Tarah took a deep breath, "he said that I was evil, after I attacked him and demanded he take his team and leave."

Her eyes drifted away from the soldiers and she looked to Jayde. He smiled softly at her, and turned back to look at the soldiers. Sighing again, Tarah narrowed her eyes and frowned at the soldiers.

"And last night, when we found Bactan over there," she pointed him out, still against the doorway, looking bored, "me and Jayde were out talking, and we were attacked by a small force of the enemy. These ones were a little stronger, and said that we couldn't hide Bactan forever."

"They've been chasing me ever since I accidentally crossed into Gallia on a scouting flight. They found me in the border forests and shouted at that they had to bring me back to their homeland. That I was proof of the existence of other beings, or something." Bactan said, finally coming over to stand at the end of the table.

"Proof of other beings?" Keith asked, his notebook half closed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Bactan shrugged. "I don't know. I ran when they started to shoot at me with their bows and lances. I wasn't gonna stay around to chat and get skewered."

Tarah shrugged at that, thinking that she'd do the same thing. She was just about to say something more, but the front door burst open. Her head whipped around to see who it was.

Ethaniel was there, his chest beating heavy with his breath. "Tarah, we have an issue." He panted. "Old man Proctor… His blacksmith is on fire!"

"What!" Tarah shouted, jumping up. "Jayde grab my swords and meet me at the smithy. Ethaniel, you're coming with me." She commanded, running to the door, not even bothering to tie her shoelaces as she shoved them on her feet.

Ethaniel followed without a question, sprinting after Tarah. Jayde glanced at the soldiers, and headed upstairs to fetch his best friend's swords. Bactan glanced around, wondering what to do.

The soldiers turned to him. "So, do they run off often?" Caleb asked him.

Bactan shrugged. "I don't know. I've only been here for a day and a half. That's not very long to get to know someone's schedule."

Jayde came back down, his mage's cape draped around his shoulders, and a book under his arm. On his back, he held the two sheaths of Tarah's swords. He stopped just before the door and turned to the soldiers.

"You're supposed to protect Daien citizens, right!" He said fiercely, glaring at the two. "Aren't you going to help!"

The two soldiers snapped to attention and raced after Jayde out the door. Outside, the inferno was very visible, and the heat was radiating to the very edges of town, burning Jayde's eyes as he raced through town.

Old man Proctor's blacksmith was in middle of town, right at the heart of the market. On a normal day, a few swordsmen would come by and assist the old man in exchange for him fixing their swords, or making them new ones. Tarah had spent many days here, helping the old man, and learning how to craft swords. She loved every aspect of holding a sword from start to finish: from the day the metal was melted and formed, to the day it broke from too much use.

As Jayde ran up, he saw Tarah and Ethaniel throwing bucket after bucket of water on the burning building. Townspeople were standing about, all staring at the flames, murmuring their concern. Jayde glanced around, taking an inventory of the people.

"Tarah! Where's Proctor!" He shouted over the roar of the flames. "I don't see him."

He saw her eyes pop out of her head, and she dropped the buckets. "Did anyone see Old man Proctor come out before the building caught?" Tarah shouted to the people surrounding. No one came out with a yes, and they all just looked around to everyone else.

Jayde ran up beside her, reading what was going through her mind. "You can't go in there!" Jayde shook her shoulders. "That's suicide!"

"So is leaving this town with a blacksmith! We have too many things that require Proctor's crafting!" Tarah shook Jayde's hands off her, and yanked the bucket of water Ethaniel was holding out of his hands. She dumped the water over her head and darted into the burning building.

Jayde shook his head and watched. It wasn't like anything he ever asked or told her to do had ever been done. Why was now any different. Tarah did was Tarah wanted to. No one could tell her what to do, or when to do it. It had always been like this. Always.

Tarah burst through the burning door, shading her eyes from the intense light the flames gave off. She pulled her shirt up to cover her mouth and began to search through the crumbling structure. Beams of burning wood cracked and snapped over her head, and Tarah had to side step several falling embers.

"Proctor! Where are you!" Tarah shouted into the cavernous building. "Proctor!"

She heard coughing to her left, and ran toward it. She came to the metal racks, where the sheets of metal were hung before melting and shaping, and found old man Proctor laying there, a burning beam across his back.

Tarah dashed over to him, and lifted the beam off of him, throwing it a few feet away. Proctor was still unmoving on the floor. Tarah reached behind her to remove her swords from her back, but remembered she had never grabbed them from Jayde. She silently thanked the goddess, as she lifted Proctor onto her back.

The flames were still raging around her, and having Proctor on her back meant she couldn't cover her mouth anymore. Smoke burned her lungs, and she began coughing herself. Glancing around to make sure nothing was going to fall on her head, Tarah began moving as fast as she could to get out of the building.

The door came into her view, and a small smile came across her face. She glanced at Proctor over her shoulder, and started toward the door.

"Almost there…." She muttered to herself, blinking ash from her eyelids. "Almost."

_CRACK!_

Tarah's head shot up. A large beam, the size of Tarah and Jayde side by side, was falling down, threatening to land on them. Tarah reacted instinctively, propelling herself forward, ready to dodge roll the hit.

But she had forgotten about the man on her back. His added weight threw off her jump, and she landed short of the clear area in front of her. The second she hit the ground, she immediately sprang up, ready to run again.

But she found her leg trapped. Glancing back, she saw the beam had landed on her leg, pinning her to floor. Proctor's head was slumped against her back, his breathing slowing.

"Gah, damn it!" She shouted, laying Proctor's body on the floor next to her, and tried to free her leg. "Why is this thing so damn heavy?"

She shifted around to where her front side was facing the ceiling, and pushed the board as hard as she could. It budged a little, freeing her ankle. She still couldn't stand, so she pushed again.

It was slow progress, pushing a board twice her size off of her. And the old man beside her was gradually getting worse. His breathing was slowing, and he was beginning to wheeze heavily.

After several minutes, she finally pushed the board off the tips of her toes. She sprang to her feet, only to have pain shoot through her leg. Gasping, she fell back to her knees. She felt her ankle for the break, but there was no raised skin, so she hoped it was just a light sprain.

Sucking in a deep smoke-filled breath, she stood up, and picked Proctor up again. Wincing with every step she took, she slowly made her way toward the door. Tarah's own breath was beginning to burn in her chest. She narrowed her eyes in determination, and took another step to the door.

She wasn't even watching for the falling boards anymore, but luckily none fell on or near her. Finally reaching the door, she threw her shoulder against it, breaking it off the fire-weakened hinges, and stumbled through.

She collapsed with Proctor on top of her several steps away from the building. Keith and Caleb rushed over to lift the man off of her, and carried him farther away to where they had already set up a healing tent.

Jayde rushed over to his best friend, and knelt beside her. "Hey, Tarah, you okay?" He asked, looking over her exposed arms and legs for any serious burns.

"I just got out a burning building, and you have the nerve to ask if I'm okay?" Tarah coughed violently, curling in on herself.

"I meant are you injured?" Jayde said, lifting her arm, and slinging it over his shoulder to help her walk.

Tarah coughed again, and nodded. "My ankle." She winced as she stepped on it. "A beam fell on it. Oh goddess that hurts!" She shouted the last part, as Jayde set her down and a healer prodded it with his staff.

Jayde patted Tarah's sweaty and ash-covered head. "Hey, now, it'll be fine. The healers will take care of you and old man Proctor."

"You don't think I know that?" Tarah snapped, her pain making her temper shorter than usual. "I'm not an idiot."

Jayde scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm trying to be the comforting best friend here."

Tarah just glared at him.

**Please don't forget to review. **


	9. Eight: Growing Concerns

**I meant to upload this last night, but then I got sick and decided I should go to bed. So I uploaded it today while I'm off from school. This chapter is mostly scene setting, but it's necessary for later on. Enjoy!**

"I hope everything's going alright…."

"I'm sure it is."

"But what if they're attacked again?"

"We have soldiers out there that can handle it. And from the reports we just received, the enemy isn't very organized."

"Are you sure everything will be alright?"

"Absolutely, Micaiah. Our men can handle it. And you saw the fighting spirit those two kids had."

Micaiah brought a hand to her face and sighed. "I'm sure my men will be fine, Sothe. But what if this gets over to the other countries? What are they going to think?"

Sothe laughed lightly. "Does it matter what they think?"

Micaiah turned from her book and stared at him. "I suppose it doesn't. I guess I'm just being paranoid, but I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Sighing, Sothe shook his head. "Well, tonight I think you should relax. You're always worrying over this and that." He whispered in her ear. "Perhaps we can take a moonlit stroll through the streets?"

"Sounds delightful." Micaiah managed to put a grin on her face. She knew Sothe needed her just as much as her country right now. Maybe more.

Sothe smiled at her and muttered, "I'll be waiting outside the castle after nightfall." Then he kissed her lightly and left.

Once he was gone, Micaiah sighed. Forgetting that a single, tiny port town had been attacked by bandits was much easier said than done. She worried for the safety of her subjects there, and she wanted desperately for everything to be alright. But she knew peace was a hard battle to fight.

Captain Koron stood at the helm of his ship. He gazed evenly across the expanse of blue ocean in front of him and thought deeply. These people his king was telling him to attack… What were his master's thoughts? Why would he have him attack innocent beings such as the Tellius inhabitants?

One of his soldiers ran up to him, panting heavily. "News from our land agents, sir. It seems that professional soldiers have been placed in our area of attack."

"Professional?" Captain Koron asked. "What exactly were we fighting before, then?"

"According to General Higar, they were simply militia men and women." The soldier informed his commander.

"They were untrained militia? But they fought so brilliantly."

"There were also only four of them, all appearing to be in the teenaged years."

"That town has teenagers protecting it? How bizarre." Captain Koron muttered to himself. "But if we are to carry out our king's orders, we must break through this town and move onto the mainland. Have our strategists plan a new method of attack."

The soldier bowed and said, "Yes, of course, sir," and ran to carry out his commands.

Captain Koron shook his head. Militia. The militia back on his land were weak and ill-prepared to do actual battle. The only thing they were really capable of was fighting off stray animals attacking their towns.

However, he realized, he really didn't know how this continent worked. He had read books telling about the ancient flood that left only Tellius uncovered. He had seen the results of it as well. His great grandfather told him about the great waves that covered his home city, about how the people there had to adapt to life underwater.

The captain frowned and thought of home. He missed his home already, and it had only been a week. Of all his time in the national army, he had never been to war. His life under the king had been filled with peace and happiness. His land had never had a reason to attack anyone, let alone some long lost legendary continent.

But his king had demanded that he seize all of Tellius. And who was he, a mere soldier, to deny his ruler.

Still, to seize an entire continent? It was a ridiculous thought. His land's army was barely large enough to compete with one of the Tellian countries' army, let alone all of them. There had to be some underlying reason for this senseless attack.

But Captain Koron couldn't dwell on it for any longer. He had men to attend to and reports to send to his land. With his confusion, he left for his cabin.

After the fire, Tarah had had to be practically dragged back home. She had limped back with her weight on Jayde's shoulders. Addie, Ethaniel, and Bactan all followed, speechless at the actions of their leader.

"Are you positive that her ankle will be alright?" Bactan asked, worried about the way she was almost crying in pain from stepping lightly on it.

"Of course I'm gonna be alright. Like I'd let a stupid sprained ankle take me down." Tarah muttered, just loud enough for her companions to hear.

Jayde sighed, and threw the door open in front of him. "Just take it easy for a few days, alright. Ethaniel, Addie, and I can handle things for a few days."

Tarah rolled her eyes, but complied, having Jayde drag her upstairs. She lay down on her bed, ready to finally get the sleep she'd been denied of earlier. For a moment, Jayde stayed at her door, watching his best friend prepare herself for bed. Once she closed her eyes, he left to go to sleep himself.

After saying his goodnights to his friends, Jayde lay on his own bed, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were a spiraling mass of chaos he couldn't even begin to understand. Seeing Tarah run into a burning building had made him angry, and sad, and worried, and so many other emotions he didn't usually have.

He'd been so scared that Tarah would never come out. He had sat there, staring at the violent flames, wondering if he would ever see Tarah again. What if she fell and passed out in there, and she ended up burning to ash? He could never see her again.

Jayde just couldn't deal with that.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he thought to himself that he might have stronger feelings for Tarah than he thought. He had read books, to appease Addie with someone to talk to, where best friends always ended up together. But he was different than those heroes. He wasn't smooth or incredibly brave. Sure, he could fight well, and he would, if he needed. But there was a reason he was mage. Mages never stood on the front line. Mages worked behind the protection of the better fighters. Mages had low defensive abilities and bad hand-to-hand combat techniques. Yeah, Jayde could wield a sword fairly well, but he wasn't comfortable standing in front of someone and slicing them. Magic was a very indirect way to harm another.

And Tarah was simply to immature to feel anything toward him. She had no memories of her life before he found her in the forest, and she still acted impulsively like a five year old. While Tarah clearly enjoyed spending time with Jayde, he felt as if she saw him as an older brother figure. Maybe one day she would feel different, but he doubted it. He knew the markings on her arms would cause her to leave, even if he said he didn't care about it. He had heard stories of Branded people falling in love with full Beorc, but it had never lasted. The Branded always left, always.

But as he thought of Tarah as a Branded person, he felt uncomfortable. The stories had always had the Branded kid as a mage or archer, never a sword wielder. Her physical power didn't match the stereotype. Jayde recalled a story where a boy had had a mark on his arm because he made a pact with the goddess, and not because he was Branded. Perhaps Tarah had made a pact earlier, and didn't remember it.

Jayde managed to finally get some sleep after all his speculation, decided he would attack the problem at a later date.

**Whoo! Hey guys, thanks for those of you reviewing. If your not, well, hey, thanks for clicking my story. Have a nice day.**


End file.
